Bikram Yoga

Since Noel & Alwyn couldn't join us for mass, I became the designated driver for Rene and I. We didn't hear mass last week because we went to Maryland. I don't wanna miss God's blessing again for this week. When we reached "Christ, the Redeemer", I strained to hear the priest. He was saying, "Through Him, with Him and in Him..." We're super late alright.

After mass, we went back home to fetch our friends. Noel didn't wanna eat out. So the three of us went out to look for a place to eat. We tried out a new Mediterranean resto in Herndon called Sorrento Grill. My officemate, Naj, recommended it too last week.

The outdoor dining was filled already so we went inside. The place was decorated with paintings depicting views of the ocean from a balcony filled with flowers. Pretty nice. Too bad Alwyn didn't bring his camera.

While waiting for our orders (I got myself chicken and beef sirloin on rice), we were given a bread and some yogurt sauce to go with it. My meal came with grilled tomatoes, onions and cucumber. 'twas good but I found it dry. I asked the waiter if they have some sauce to go with the beef. He told me that he could give me some spicy sauce. That would work for me.

I finished only half of my meal. Time for dessert. I was so intrigued by their Rosewater Saffron ice cream so I ordered it. I thought the ice cream would be rosy colored but it was yellow. The minute I tasted it, it reminded me of church because of its smell. I felt like I was praying when I was eating it =oP

Next stop was Walmart and Grandmart. I was happy that I was driving again.

After dropping off the guys & the groceries, I went to Reston for my Bikram Yoga session. I'm super excited to try it out. I paid 17 bucks for a one-time session 'cause I'm not sure if I will like it. Sunny, who reminds me of Dr. Cristina Yang from "Grey's Anatomy", is my trainer. She's bubbly and funny.

I met Yvette while waiting for the class to start. She's done yoga in New York too. She gave me some pointers like, if I feel like going out of the room because of the heat, I should stay instead and lay down on the mat. Don't watch others 'cause they might do it differently. Just listen to the trainer and I'll be fine. The Bikram Yoga has done wonders for her health. Sweet!

I removed my shoes and went inside the yoga room. It was hot alright but manageable. It's not a sauna hot temperature. I positioned myself at the back. Laid down my mat, my towel and iced water. More peeps started to come in. There were only 3 guys. We're like 12 in the class.

Sunny positioned herself at the front center and she began the session with a breathing exercise called Pranayama Breathing. She told us to breathe in through our nose and breathe out through our mouths... LOUDLY!
The next 25 poses involved some challenging poses. The first 12 steps are done while standing. The remainder was done on the floor. There are poses that imitate a tree, a cobra, a balancing stick, a tear drop, and an airplane (wheeee!). While doing these poses, I could hear my heart beating like a drum and I was sweating profusely. There's also a part in the session that Sunny sang "I Can See Clearly Now" (maybe to relax us).

There's only 1 pose that I skipped (number 23) because I'm afraid that I would lose it if I bend down again. I kept on drinking my ice cold water and rested a bit. The last pose was quite fun. We breathed out like 50 times with the aid of our tummy.

Afterwards, we laid down and closed our eyes. Then I felt an ice cold towel placed on my left hand. I put it on my face. Refreshing indeed!

The 90-minute yoga is finally over and I did it. I told Sunny that I made it! It feels great afterwards. Sunny informed me that a Bikram Yoga center is opening soon in Ashburn. I'm really looking forward to that. We chit-chat a bit before I head back home.